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A living root bridge is a type of simple suspension bridge formed of living plant roots by tree shaping. They are common in the southern part of the
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
. They are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees (''
Ficus elastica ''Ficus elastica'', the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South and Southeast Asia. It has become nat ...
'') by the
Khasi Khasi may refer to: * Khasi people, an ethnic group of Meghalaya, India * Khasi language, a major Austroasiatic language spoken in Meghalaya, India * Khāṣi language, an Indo-Aryan language of Jammu and Kashmir, India See also * Khasi Hills * Gh ...
and Jaiñtia peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau. Most of the bridges grow on steep slopes of subtropical moist broadleaf forest between above sea level. As long as the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the roots in the bridge can naturally grow thick and strengthen. New roots can grow throughout the tree's life and must be pruned or manipulated to strengthen the bridge. Once mature, some bridges can have as many as 50 or more people crossing, and have a lifespan of several hundred years. Without active care, many bridges have decayed or grown wild, becoming unusable. Written documentation of living root bridges was sparse until the 2010s, but in 2017, researchers geo-located a total of 75 living root bridges. Living root bridges have also been created in the Indian state of Nagaland, in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
at
Jembatan akar Jembatan akar (English: '' living root bridge'') is the bridge that forms the fabric of the two roots of the trees that grow across and extends over a stream in the subdistrict Bayang Utara, Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is ...
on the island of
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, and in the Banten province of
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, by the Baduy people.


History

The
Khasi people The Khasi people are an ethnic group of Meghalaya in north-eastern India with a significant population in the bordering state of Assam, and in certain parts of Bangladesh. Khasi people form the majority of the population of the eastern part of M ...
do not know when or how the tradition of living root bridges started. In Khasi mythology, their ancestors descended from a living roots ladder that connected heaven and earth, ''jingkieng ksiar.'' Historically, the earliest written record of Sohra's (Cherrapunji's) living root bridges is by Henry Yule, who expressed astonishment about them in the 1844 ''Journal of
the Asiatic Society of Bengal The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...
''.


Methods of creation

A living root bridge is formed by guiding the pliable roots of the
rubber fig ''Ficus elastica'', the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South and Southeast Asia. It has become na ...
tree across a stream or river, and then allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time until they can hold the weight of a human being. The young roots are sometimes tied or twisted together, and are often encouraged to combine via the process of inosculation. As the rubber fig tree is well suited to anchoring itself to steep slopes and rocky surfaces, it is not difficult to encourage its roots to take hold on the opposite sides of river banks. As they are made from living, growing organisms, the useful lifespan of any given living root bridge is variable. It is thought that, under ideal conditions, a root bridge can last for many hundreds of years. As long as the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the bridge will naturally self-renew and self-strengthen as its component roots grow thicker. A root bridge can be made in several ways:


By hand

Some living root bridges are created entirely by manipulating the roots of the rubber fig tree by hand, and without the aid of a scaffolding or any other natural or human-made materials. Often, locals using root bridges will make small alterations to them, manipulating young roots as the opportunity presents itself. Because of this, one can say that the development of a living root bridge is very much a social endeavor and that the structures are perpetual works in progress.


Wood or bamboo scaffold

Root bridges are also commonly formed by training young rubber fig roots over scaffolds made from wood or bamboo, materials which are abundant in Northeast India. In these instances, the roots are wrapped around the outside of the perishable material. The scaffolds may be replaced many times over the years as the root bridge becomes stronger.


Areca Palm trunks

Some living root bridges are grown by training young rubber fig roots through the hollowed-out trunks of areca nut palms. The pliable tree roots are made to grow through
betel tree ''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in sou ...
trunks which have been placed across rivers and streams until the figs' roots attach themselves to the other side. The trunks serve to guide the roots, to protect them, and provide them with nutrients as they decay. Sticks, stones, and other objects are used to stabilize the growing bridge. This process can take up to 15 years to complete.


Conventional structures

Root bridges can also be trained by guiding the young roots of rubber fig trees across conventional structures, such as already existing steel wire suspension bridges. As the structure being used as a scaffold is already functional, the problem of the length of time it takes for a root bridge to become functional is here essentially bypassed; the conventional structure can be used until the more sustainable root bridge is sufficiently strong.


Distribution


West Jaintia and East Khasi districts

Living root bridges are known to occur in the
West Jaintia Hills district West Jaintia Hills (Pron: ˈʤeɪnˌtɪə) is an administrative District in the state of Meghalaya in India. The united district (Jaintia Hills District) was created on 22 February 1972 and occupied an area of 3819 km2. It had a population ...
and
East Khasi Hills district East Khasi Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The district headquarters are located at Shillong. The district occupies an area of 2752 km² and has a population of 825,922 (as of 2011). , it is the most ...
. In the Jaintia Hills, examples of living root bridges can be found in and around the villages of Shnongpdeng, Nongbareh, Khonglah, Padu, Kudeng Thymmai, Siej and Kudeng Rim. In the East Khasi Hills, living root bridges nearby
Cherrapunji Cherrapunji () or Sohra is a subdivisional town (Proposed District) East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is the traditional capital of ka ''hima'' Sohra (Khasi tribal kingdom). Sohra has often been credited as being t ...
are known to exist in and around the villages of Tynrong, Mynteng,
Nongriat Nongriat is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya State, in north-eastern India. It is perhaps best known for its living root bridges; one an impressive double-decker suspension bridge called Jingkieng Nongriat. The vill ...
,
Nongthymmai Nongthymmai is a census town in East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. Demographics According to the 2001 India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about t ...
, and
Laitkynsew Laitkynsew is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya State, in north-eastern India. It is perhaps best known for its living root bridges. The Umnnoi living root bridge, known locally as ''Jingkieng Deingjri'', which means 'b ...
. East of Cherrapunji, examples of living root bridges are known to exist in the Khatarshnong region, in and around the villages of Nongpriang, Sohkynduh,
Kongthong Kongthong, popularly called the ''Singing Village'', is a village and tourist attraction in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in the Northeast hilly region of India. Kongthong, India's entry for United Nations World Tourism Organi ...
, Rymmai, and Mawshuit. Many more can be found near Pynursla and
Mawlynnong Mawlynnong is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state in North East India. It is notable for its cleanliness and also was chosen by Discover India magazine as Asia's cleanest village. The village comes under the Pynurs ...
.


Notable root bridges

At over 50 meters in length, the longest known example of a living root bridge is near the small Khasi town of Pynursla in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, which can be accessed from either the village of Mawkyrnot or Rangthylliang. This bridge is known as Rangthylliang bridge. There are several examples of double living-root bridges, the most famous being the "Double Decker" root bridge of Nongriat which is estimated to be 200 years old. There are three known examples of double-decker bridges with two parallel or nearly parallel spans. Two are in the West Jaintia Hills near the villages of Padu and Nongbareh, and one is in Burma Village, in the East Khasi Hills. There is also a "Double Decker" (or possibly even "Triple Decker") near the village of Rangthylliang, close to Pynursla.


Other root structures

The
Khasi Khasi may refer to: * Khasi people, an ethnic group of Meghalaya, India * Khasi language, a major Austroasiatic language spoken in Meghalaya, India * Khāṣi language, an Indo-Aryan language of Jammu and Kashmir, India See also * Khasi Hills * Gh ...
and Jaiñtia also make several other kinds of structures out of the aerial roots of rubber trees. These include ladders and platforms. For example, in the village of Kudeng Rim in the West Jaintia Hills, a rubber tree next to a football field has been modified so that its branches can serve as living root bleachers. Aerial roots of the tree have been interwoven in the spaces between several branches so that platforms have been created from which villagers can watch football games.


See also

*
Baubotanik Baubotanik is a term that describes a building method in which architectural structures are created through the interaction of technical joints and plant growth. The term entails the practice of designing and building living structures using ''l ...
: Building with both technical joints and plant growth. * Espalier: Old practice of training fruit trees into flat two-dimensional forms *
Fab Tree Hab The Fab Tree Hab is a hypothetical ecological home design developed at MIT by Mitchell Joachim, Javier Arbona and Lara Greden. With the idea of easing the burden humanity places on the environment with conventional housing by growing "living, br ...
: hypothetical home of shaped trees *
List of longest bridges above water in India This is a list of India's bridges longer than , sorted by their full length above water. Bridges See also *List of longest bridges in the world *List of road–rail bridges *List of bridges in India *List of longest bridges in West Bengal ...
*
Pleaching Pleaching or plashing is a technique of interweaving living and dead branches through a hedge creating a fence, hedge or lattices. Trees are planted in lines, and the branches are woven together to strengthen and fill any weak spots until the hed ...
: Way of creating a hedge with plants for stock control * Topiary: The clipping of foliage of perennial plants into clearly defined shapes


References


External links


"The Living Natural Root Bridgew in Meghalaya"


unbelievable-facts.com
"Living Root Bridges"
also living fig ladders as well as bridges
"Living Root Bridges of Cherrapunji"
at inhabitat.com
"Living Root Bridges at Cherrapunji In Megahalya"
at blotub.com
" Magic of turning roots into bridges "
at familyonthewheels.com * https://livingrootbridges.com/
Video clip
depicting the training of roots, by the bamboo scaffold method, in an existing root bridge dating to 1840 in the village of Nohwet in
East Khasi Hills District East Khasi Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The district headquarters are located at Shillong. The district occupies an area of 2752 km² and has a population of 825,922 (as of 2011). , it is the most ...
,
Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. From the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
's ''
The Travel Show ''The Travel Show'' is an EP by British rapper Braintax, was released through Low Life Records in 1999. The EP was never released on CD; however, it can be purchased on the Internet as a digital download in MP3 format. Track listing Digit ...
'' 2017 episod
"India: Episode Two"
{{Tourism in India Buildings and structures in Meghalaya Transport in Meghalaya Bridges in India Tourist attractions in Meghalaya Trees